Former Assemblyman Tom Umberg has joined the Democratic field to challenge Republican state Sen. Janet Nguyen, bringing strong credentials — and immediately drawing a harsh attack from the California Republican Party.

The attorney served in Sacramento’s lower chamber twice, from 1990 to 1994 and again from 2004 to 2006. He is a retired Army colonel and former federal prosecutor who was deputy drug czar under President Bill Clinton from 1997 to 2000.

“I’m running for state Senate because I believe that our community needs a strong fighter in Sacramento who will stand up to President Trump and his administration on important issues like health care, immigration, energy, the environment, civil rights, education and consumer issues,” Umberg said in a Wednesday statement announcing his candidacy.

But in addition to his accomplishments, Umberg has seen his share of setbacks. He’s lost four elections, including a third-place finish in a special election for county supervisor in 2007 (Nguyen won) and losing a 2006 state Senate race to fellow Democratic Lou Correa by nearly 20-percentage points.

The 2006 loss came a year after Umberg, who’s now been married 36 years, made headlines for acknowledging he’d had a four-year affair with a woman he said he met through Democratic Party activities.

The attack

Republicans seized on the losses, the affair and the fact that he just moved into the Nguyen’s district. Umberg changed his voter registration from his Villa Park house to a Santa Ana apartment Feb. 17, according to elections office records. He announced his candidacy four days later.

“Umberg is an admitted philanderer, carpetbagger and four-time campaign loser,” said Nguyen campaign consultant Dave Gilliard in a statement issued by the state GOP.

“You would think the powers in Sacramento could have found a better candidate, but instead it’s just business as usual.”

Voters will actually have three Democrats — plus Republican Nguyen — to choose from in June’s open primary, the current field remains constant through the March 9 filing deadline. The other two are Gerrie Schipske, a former Long Beach City Council member and former executive director of the Democratic Party of Orange County, and activist Jestin Samson.

The district reaches from south Long Beach to Santa Ana, and includes virtually all of Little Saigon. Despite Democrats having a nearly 10-percentage point advantage in voter registration, Nguyen won election over Democratic former Assemblyman Jose Solario by 16-percentage points in 2014.

The rebuttal

Umberg defended himself against the attack of carpetbagging by saying he first moved into the district in 1989, that his children had attended school in the district and that he represented large swaths of the district while in the Assembly.

“No one has more experience in the district than me,” he told me.

As for his affair, he noted that the news was 13-years old.

“I admitted to a wrongful relationship,” he said. “I’m sorry for the pain I caused then. I love my wife and I’m grateful everyday for her.”

Appointments

Meanwhile, three Orange County Republicans have recently received appointments or reappointments from Gov. Jerry Brown.

Michael Mohler, 45, of Anaheim, has been tapped to be deputy director of communications at the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. He had been the southern region public information officer since 2014 and has been with the department since 2004. The job pays $125,000.

Frances Inman, 71, of Santa Ana, has been reappointed to the California Transportation Commission, where she has served since 2010. Inman is the president of Majestic Realty Foundation. The post requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem.

John Carvelli, 55, of Newport Beach, has been reappointed to the California State Athletic Commission, where he has been chair since 2015 and has served as a member since 2013. He is executive vice president at LIBERTY Dental Plan. The post requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Carvelli is a Republican.

Martin Wisckol covers coastal environment and development. Previously, he spent two decades as politics reporter and columnist for the Orange County Register. He’s also held reporting positions in Miami, Jacksonville, Detroit and his hometown of San Diego, with an emphasis on land use and urban planning. He is a lifelong surfer and has spent most of his life on the coast. His work has been honored by the Society of Professional Journalists, the National Headliner Awards, the California Newspaper Publishers Association, the Florida Press Club and the American Planning Association Florida Chapter.

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